The Black Pearl - Chapters 1

Chapters 1 - 6
Question Answers

Chapter 1
1.	How did Ramon's mother describe the Manta Diablo? (The Manta Diablo could change shape and come onto the land. It has evil eyes.)
2.	Who are the two people in La Paz that have seen the Manta Diablo? (Father Linares and Ramon)
3.	What special powers did the Manta Diablo have? (He could walk around on land. He would discipline the children if their mothers asked him to.)
4.	How did Ramon react when his mother used the Manta Diablo to threaten him? (He smiled and laughed to himself)

Chapter 2
1.	How did Ramon's father tell Ramon that he was going to make him a partner in his pearl business? (He gave a birthday party and announced it there.)
2.	What did Ramon really want for his birthday? (He wanted his father to teach him how to dive for pearls.)
3.	What made Ramon feel happy and unhappy on his birthday? (He was sad because he couldn't learn to dive. He was happy because he was old enough to work with in his father's business.)
4.	Why wouldn't Ramon's father let him dive pearls when he turned 16 years old? (Ramon's father thought he was too small and weak.)
5.	What did Father Guillardo do to protect the pearling ships? (He blessed the fleet.)

Chapter 3
1.	Describe how important the Sevillano was to pearling fleet. (The Sevillano brought up more oysters than the other divers. This brought in more money for the Salazar's.)
2.	The men who dived with the Sevillano called him a braggart. What makes him a braggart? (A braggart is someone who brags about himself all of the time. The Sevillano talked about himself often and had tatooed pictures about his adventures all over his body.)
3.	Why do you think that the Sevillano needed to brag so much? (The Sevillano wanted to be more important than anyone, even the Salazars.)
4.	Why did the Sevillano act so mean towards Ramon? (Ramon's father was the boss, so the Sevillano did this to show that he was better than his father and to embarass them in front of the men.)
5.	What things did the Sevillano do to annoy Ramon and his father? (He brags, picks on Ramon and the other divers, and insults Ramon's father.)

Chapter 4
1.	What did Soto Luzon bring Ramon's father? (He brought pearls and sold them to the Salazars.)
2.	Why was Soto Luzon an important customer? (His pearls were always quality pearls.)
3.	Describe what happened to make Ramon want to learn to dive for pearls? (He always wanted to dive, but the Sevillano made him angry by embarassing and insulting him.)
4.	How was Ramon able to convice Soto Luzon to teach him how to dive for pearls? (He said that he would find only one big pearl and then stop.)

Chapter 5
1.	What made Ramon uneasy when he and Soto Luzon paddled into the lagoon? (The opening to the lagoon was very narrow and the sides of the cliffs were so tall.)
2.	Where did Soto Luzon say that the Manta Diablo lived? (in a cave at the opening to the lagoon.)
3.	Shy does the red mist on the lagoon frighten Soto Luzon? (it means that the Manta Diablo is in the lagoon.)

Chapter 6

What do you think the red haze on the lagoon really is?
(fog reflecting sunlight)

What sort of pearl did Ramon think that he would find in the cave?
(a giant one since no one had ever looked for one there before)

Why do you think that Soto Luzon did not watch Ramon dive for pearls?
(His family had made a pact with the Manta Diablo never to dive in the cave for pearls.)

How were the giant pearls dangerous to divers?
(They could slam shut on the divers arms and legs and cause them to drown.)

What made the giant shells hard to get into the canoe?
(They were huge and heavy.)

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